The present invention relates to an illumination type push button switch which employs an illuminant such as a light emitting diode, a lamp or the like. It is conventional in the illumination type push button switch that electric power for lighting the illuminant is supplied from a pair of external terminals electrically connected to the illuminant. Where a light emitting diode is used as an illuminant, a protective resistor is required. However, in a conventional illumination type push button switch, there is a drawback that if the protective resistor is encased in the switch, the switch cannot be miniaturized. Furthermore, in a known illumination type push button switch which does not encase a protective resistor therein, there is also a drawback in that the protective resistor must be provided externally, resulting in an inconvenience in handling. Under these circumstances, it has been heretofore desired to develop an illumination type push button switch which overcomes the drawbacks noted above with respect to the prior art and which is small in size and easy to handle.